Bananas - Pisang Emas

In my continuing saga with the varieties of bananas at the farm, this blog is dedicated to pisang emas.  As with the other varieties, the initial plant takes about 1 year to fruiting and baby plants start growing as the inital plant matures.  The plant is shorter by comparison to the other banana plants,  Per plant, it produces less sikat compared to the other varieties.  However, quality of soil, fertilizer as well as water makes a difference.

To determine when the fruit is ready for harvesting, check the end of the fruit.  If the flower has dried off and all that is left is the black ends, then the fruit is mature.  In my war with the birds, this is when I will harvest it and let it continue to ripen indoors.  I enjoy watching the change in the outer skin color from green to yellow to golden yellow. 

This banana is more commonly eaten raw and with its smaller size, is ideal as an after-meal dessert. It will also help with the digestion with its high fiber content.  The shape of the fruit is also ovalish with no visible edges on the sides.  The flesh is also a golden yellow.  The fruit ripens to a golden yellow skin hence its name.  The skin is also relatively thin and bruises easily once ripe.  The outer skin texture is waxy-smooth.

This banana can be used to make cucur kodok, lempeng and other sweet delicacies such as banana bread and muffin when it is over-ripe.
I do not recommend the inflorescence or jantung pisang for ulam due to its bitter taste.